“I’ve said this before, but you’re not listening,” Aden said. “Sandy is exhausted. She was up all night with each of you, all week! Today, she’s been running to work to help Heather help you Sissy with your big ballet day. She was up all night with Rachel.”

“Sandy’s fine,” Nash grumped from the couch.

“How would you know, Nash?” Aden asked. “You haven’t pulled your head out of that stupid computer in months.”

“Do you remember what happened the last time Sandy was this tired?” Aden asked. The kids all looked at the ground. “Anyone?”

The children were painfully silent.

“Do we want that to happen again?” Aden asked.

“No but …” Noelle started. “This is really big!”

“Bigger than last night? Or last weekend? How about when you ran out of paint and the world was going to end?” Aden asked. “Sandy ran all over town to get you exactly the right paint from precisely the right place. That was Monday!”

None of the kids would look him in the eyes.

“All I’m asking for is one night of no drama,” Aden said. “I’m taking Sandy to a nice dinner. We need to look at her apartment and decide what we want to do about with it. Boring stuff. We’ll be back to tuck you in.”

The kids were so quiet that he looked at each of their faces to make sure they were even awake.

“We can’t go if any one of you goes off the deep end again,” Aden said. “Okay? No drama!”

“I’ve known Sandy a long time; I’m her husband,” Aden said. “Plus, I’ve received no less than ten texts from the girlfriends informing me that Sandy’s near breaking point.”

Aden smiled and the kids laughed.

“This is Valerie and Mike’s last night here,” Aden said. “They want to spend some time with you tonight.”

“Is Ivy coming over?” Nash asked.

“Tink?” Noelle asked because Charlie was too cool to ask.

“As you know, Tink had a seizure today,” Aden said. “She’s at home resting. Ivy is staying with them until they work out where she’s going to live.”

“So they’re coming over?” Charlie asked.

“No,” Aden said. “You’re stuck here with a world famous actress and her incredibly talented painter husband. He and Jake are taking you and Nash to play hockey, by the way.”

“Oh,” Charlie said.

Aden laughed to himself. They heard movement on the stairs.

“Let’s go over this one more time,” Aden said. “What’s going to happen?”

The kids wouldn’t look at him.

“Anyone?” Aden asked. “Sissy.”

“No drama,” Sissy grumped.

“Noelle?” Aden asked.

“No drama, but …” Noelle started. She caught the look on her father’s face and confirmed, “No drama.”

“Boys?” Aden asked. “Charlie?”

“No drama,” Charlie said. “I’ll take Rachel.”

“You can’t take Rachel!” Noelle said. “I’m taking Rachel.”

“Kids!” Aden growled.

“Ok, we’ve got it,” Nash said. “No drama.”

“Good,” Aden said.

“I’m taking Rachel,” Nash said.

The girls started screaming. Charlie snatched Nash’s computer away and he started screaming. Aden looked up to the heavens for help.

The door opened. Sandy came in the apartment with Rachel on her hip.

The kids stopped moving.

“What’s going on?” Sandy asked.

The kids scattered like mice.

“Wait, what just happened?” Sandy asked. “I could hear them yelling downstairs.”

“They’re fine,” Aden hugged Sandy. “How would you like to go to a quiet dinner with me?”

“Quiet dinner?” Sandy asked. “What about homework? What about …”

Sandy leaned forward.

“Drama,” Sandy whispered.

“We’re practicing our no drama skills,” Aden said with emphasis.

Sandy smiled.

“Why don’t you get dressed?” Aden smiled. “We have reservations in an hour.”

“Where?”

“Beatrice and Woodsley,” Aden smiled.

“Oooh!” She was almost to the bedroom when she said, “Are we taking Rachel?”

“Rachel is staying with her friend Jackie tonight,” Aden said in a loud tone. “It’s Val’s last night and she wanted some quality Rachel time.”

A general moan came from the direction of the kids rooms.

“Val brought a dress up for you,” Aden followed her to their bedroom. Sandy had set Rachel on the bed and was holding a dress. “She said her French dressmaker made it. She made it for some curvy mistress in Paris, but the lady got dumped. The dress is paid for, but the lady couldn’t ‘possibly wear it’ and the man who paid for it doesn’t want his wife to find it. They sent it here because it matches your hair or something like that.”

“It’s mine?” Sandy squealed and clapped. “I have just the shoes!”

“I know,” Aden smiled.

“Out!” Sandy pushed him out of the room.

“We only have an hour,” Aden said.

“I’ll be ready in time,” Sandy said. “You’ll see.”

Aden smiled. When he looked down the hall, the kids heads were sticking out of their bedrooms. He gave them some silent applause.

When he turned to go into the living room, he heard their bedroom door open. He crept into the hallway. When Sandy waved the kids into their bedroom, he pointed at them. They nodded and crept into her bedroom to talk to her while she got dressed. Smiling, he left the apartment to arrange the rest of their evening.

~~~~~~~~

Wednesday evening — 6:59 p.m.

“Wha …” Tink sat up and looked around. She was lying on some kind of a table in the basement of the house she was living in.

“You had a seizure,” Blane said. He came to the side of the table. “Lie back. We’re almost done. How do you feel?”

“Awful,” Tink said. “Why are there all these needles in me? Are you torturing me?”

“I had a seizure and … whatever happened that I don’t remember … and … whatever’s wrong with me …”

Blane nodded.

“What?” Tink asked.

“I get what you’re saying, that’s all,” Blane said. “I’ve felt like that for a … for a long time. I know there’s nothing I can say that will make it better. I know that you feel this way because you feel this way. I can tell you Tink that someday you won’t feel like this.”

Tink snorted and Blane smiled.

“I probably would have responded the same way,” Blane said.

He kept pulling needles out. In his warm compassionate company, Tink began to calm down. He snuck a few needles in while he was taking a few out.

“What changed it?” Tink asked.

“How I felt?” Blane asked.

Tink nodded.

“A couple of things,” Blane said. “One was connecting to people who loved me no matter what – like Jake, Sam, and eventually Heather and Mack. Loving them, caring for them, it changed me. Probably the next thing was learning that bad things happen.”

“I’m not saying give up your own suffering,” Blane snorted. “If I’d given up mine, you wouldn’t be here. We wanted to adopt a teenager because of my suffering.”

“Wha’j you mean then?” Tink’s eyes drooped.

“I think what’s hard is feeling like I suffered because of something inside of me, like it was personal,” Blane said. “Seeing that so many people suffer made me realize that suffering isn’t personal. My suffering is mine, belongs to me, and I can do whatever I want to with it. I can feel bad about myself. I can hate the world. Or I can accept that it happened and move on to a better life.”

“How do you move on?” Tink asked.

“I think first, you have to get through it,” Blane smiled. “You’re still in the middle of it all.”

He squeezed her arm.

“Why don’t you rest for a minute?” Blane asked. “I know Heather wants to see you. Mack’s been trying to get in the whole time we’ve been down here.”

“Ivy?” Tink slurred.

“She’s upstairs,” Blane said. “She wants to tell you all about meeting her aunt, but she scared you might be too sick. She’s a wreck. I guess we’ve all been.”

“Why?”

“We love you and were worried about you,” Blane said.

Tink was asleep. He touched her shoulder and left the room. He found Heather playing with Mack in the den.

“How’s Tink?” Heather asked.

“She doesn’t remember anything,” Blane said. “She got upset so I put her out. She’ll wake up in a few minutes.”

“They told us she might not remember,” Heather said.

“Where’s Gracie?” Blane asked. “Ivy?”

“Gracie went to get settled in her hotel,” Heather said. “She’ll be back for dinner. Ivy went with her to get a little a little time together.”

“Is that all right?” Blane scowled.

“It was either that or dissolve into a puddle while waiting for Tink,” Heather said.

“Do we know what …?” Blane asked.

“The boy’s parents and their lawyer are meeting with Max and Samantha right now,” Heather said.

“I’d rather just be here in this fairy tale of calm and beauty,” Aden said.

He looked around at the Aspen tree trunks which marked the edges of the room. Sandy smiled.

“Did you notice every eye was on you when we came in?” he asked.

She smiled. He leaned forward and kissed her.

“You should look,” Sandy said. “Find out what’s waiting for us at home.”

He gave her a slight smile and took out his Blackberry. He’d received an email.

“I’m going to freshen up,” Sandy said.

He nodded and clicked the email icon.

Dear Parents,

I have been informed by the Denver Police Department that there is a video or possibly a series of videos being distributed to mainly boys in the Denver Public School District. These videos depict girls being physically attacked and violently sexually assaulted by multiple assailants.

Possession of these videos is a Federal Crime.

The videos are extremely violent. These assaults have led to at least one death and long term health consequences for more than one girl. For your reference, the youngest girl assaulted was nine years old and the oldest was sixteen years old.

The Denver Police is cooperating with the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security in this matter. The District Attorney has made it clear that he will not hesitate to prosecute any individual who has any of these videos in his or her possession.

The Denver Police have asked us to ask you to check your child’s computer, phone, and mobile device for this video. Should you find the video, please contact the Denver Police at (303) XXX-1234. They are willing to work with any family that voluntarily turns in a device with this video on it. They will confiscate the device and interview your child. The devices will be returned to you. The District Attorney’s Office assures me that they will not prosecute the children and families who voluntarily come forward to assist this investigation.

Starting tomorrow, the Denver Police will confiscate any phone, computer, or mobile device entering our schools. If your child’s device contains this video, you and your child will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. The Denver Police have informed me that they can detect the video if it has been deleted. Those who have deleted the video will have the additional charge of obstructing a criminal investigation.

If your child was assaulted or knows someone who was assaulted, please contact the Denver Police as soon as possible. If you or your child have any information on this matter, please contact the authorities, your teacher, principal, or counselor.

This is an active police investigation. Any information will help the police bring these criminals to justice.

Please join me in supporting the victims and their families and bring the perpetrators to justice.

Thank you for your help.

Superintendent of Schools

Denver Public School District

Aden put his Blackberry back in his pocket. Like every man in the restaurant, he watched Sandy walk back from the bathroom. The fabric of the dress clung to her full breasts and round hips. Her step was jaunty and inviting, but her eyes focused only on him.

“What was it?” Sandy asked.

“Superintendent has asked every parent to check for the videos,” Aden said.

Sandy’s relaxed face pinched with worry. He put his hand over hers.

“We still have a couple hours,” Aden said. “I thought we could stop by your old place …”

Sandy beamed at him.

“We need to figure out what to do with it,” Aden said.

“You mean now that Lizzie’s in LA?” Sandy asked.

“Sure,” Aden lifted his coffee cup to cover his sly smile.

“We’d probably have to check my bedroom and maybe the shower,” Sandy said.

“To make a good decision, we should probably try the kitchen and living room too.”

Sandy giggled and he smiled.

“I’m not missing out on an offer like that!” Sandy stood up.

Aden dropped money on the table and followed her out of the restaurant.